Queen Victoria. And other Kings and Queen of England and Ireland.
Discover the best books on Queen Victoria and England & Ireland's monarchs, from Eleanor of Aquitaine to George III. Explore expert biographies by Alison Weir and Christopher Hibbert in this curated royal history reading list.
Book
George III
by Christopher Hibbert
In George III: A Personal History, British historian Christopher Hibbert reassesses the royal monarch George III (1738–1820). Rather than reaffirm George III's reputation as “Mad King George,” Hibbert portrays him as not only a competent ruler during most of his reign, but also as a patron of the arts and sciences, as a man of wit and intelligence, indeed, as a man who “greatly enhanced the reputation of the British monarchy” until he was finally stricken by a rare hereditary disease.Teeming with court machinations, sexual intrigues, and familial conflicts, George III opens a window on the tumultuous, rambunctious, revolutionary eighteenth century. It is sure to alter our understanding of this fascinating, complex, and very human king who so strongly shaped England's —and America's—destiny.
Book
Mistress Anne
by Carolly Erickson
As Maureen Quilligan wrote in the New York Times Book Review of The First Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn "was a real victim of the sexual scandals her brilliant daughter escaped, and a subject Ms. Erickson's sensitivity to sexual and political nuance should well serve." Indeed, Carolly Erickson could have chosen no more fascinating and appropriate a subject. Alluring and profoundly enigmatic, Anne Boleyn has eluded the grasp of historians for centuries. Through her extraordinarily vivid re-creation of this most tragic chapter in all Tudor History, Carrolly Erickson gives us unprecedented insight into the singuarlity of Anne Boleyn's life, the dark and overwhelming forces that shaped her errant destiny, and the rare, tumultuous times in which she lived.
Book
Eleanor of Aquitaine
by Alison Weir
In this beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of a truly exceptional woman and provides new insights into her intimate world. Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in Europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the Middle Ages. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, Eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman—and the queen—in all her glory. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era.
Book
Queen Mary
by James Pope-Hennessy
The award-winning biography of Princess May of Teck tells the moving story of her relatively impoverished childhood, her very significant reign, and her old age as the much-admired Queen Dowager. As official biographer, the author had the advantage of access to private papers and the cooperation of many people. “A masterpiece of royal biography first published in 1959 and too long out of print.”—Booklist.
